Good morning! Hopefully you’re enjoying a fun and relaxing holiday weekend and feeling extra thankful for all those who serve our country. (More on that below.) It seems like forever ago that Kent’s Marine Corps unit was deployed for nine months during the first Desert Storm. This picture is from the day he came home. Check out my mullet, with a poodle-ish looking perm to really jazz up the look. Can you believe I'm showing you this on the world wide web?! Kent just winced when I told him what I was doing, LOL! 🙂 (More on happy military homecomings at my other blog today.)
We’re laying low this weekend and loving it. Kent’s working on the garden and biking – this is his new favorite way to exercise since running got too hard on his knees. I’m working on my book pile and rollerblading on the trail for the first time this year. (With the kids on their bikes in front of me to make sure there are no snakes ahead, good idea, huh?)
- Now for the important stuff… Here’s what we’re throwing on the grill this weekend: bacon-cheddar brats, pastured chicken, grass-fed burgers, and grass-fed flank steaks for fajitas, don’t these look good?! We get all this tasty meat from our local farmer. If you can’t find a safe source by you, find out where to buy healthy meat online. What are you cooking over the weekend?
- Soon I’ll be answering more questions in my Kitchen Kop newsletter, so if there’s anything at all that you’re wondering about, email me: [email protected]. (Put “NEWSLETTER QUESTION” in the subject line.) As my current subscribers know, I don’t send the newsletters out too often, because I’m pretty sure that your in-box is as nutty as mine.
- I’m getting sick of the songs on my iPhone that I run with. Anyone have some good ideas for new songs to download? (I love all different types of music, from Toby Mac & David Crowder to AC/DC & Prince…)
- Thanks to Cathy from the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund who found this article: MILK vs. milk. “Controversy surrounding a Minnesota farmer's raw milk trade has brought the “real milk” debate close to home.” After you read that article, check out all my posts about fresh, raw milk.
- One more from Jenetta: When is my child ready for artificial colors? (Be sure to read to the end before you freak out.)
- Have you seen this post on the danger of artificial colors & some healthy popsicle alternatives? (School is almost out and you'll love these ideas – be sure to check out the comments where all the really good info is to be found.)
- I’ll end today’s mix-up with a non-food related quote that I found on Oprah’s site. I used to watch her years ago and wanted to catch her last show, but forgot. (I never think to turn the TV on anymore.) So this was one of her final pieces of advice that I found online:
“Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is, and get about the job of doing it,” Oprah told viewers Wednesday. “Don’t waste any more time,” she urged. “Start embracing the life that is calling you, and use your life to serve the world.”
I feel thankful to have found the way I'm pretty sure God is calling me to serve Him, even though I don't always live it out very well: First by being a good wife and Mom, next by loving and helping others in my life the best I can, and lastly by writing this blog. It’s been over seven years since my “food conversion”, and almost four years since I began this Kitchen Kop site. I still absolutely love interacting with all of you, my reader friends, and trying my best to help you take little steps closer to better health every day. What is your calling in life? What is it that you feel so passionate about that you'd do even if you didn't get paid (or paid much) for doing? (Bloggers can relate!) Are you living this out or at least headed in that direction? Today we celebrate what many give their lives for: we have the freedom to follow our dreams. As Oprah says, don’t waste any more time.
Have a great week!
Kate says
Since you posted a picture of your former mullet days and asked for song recommendations all in the same post, I had to send on a ling to a song that fit the bill. KJ-52 is a Christian artist and this song is one of his goofier ones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_9pyVYK-Y
Hope you enjoy it!
KitchenKop says
That is hilarious!!!!!!!!!!! My theme song, LOL!
Teena says
LOVE the picture!!! I’m thankful you found your calling too! This blog has been so helpful and all the work you do researching is greatly appreciated. For music, I would suggest Better Get to Livin’ by Dolly Parton, Upside Down by Jack Johnson, Shout by Tears for Fears and I love it loud by KISS. Just a few that keep me motivated on the treadmill.
Cathy F says
You have the absolute best blog on the internet! I love it. Now for music… you have to listen to Chris Rice (Christian). Some of my favorites are “Hallelujahs,” “Smellin’ Coffee,” and “Somebody’s Watching You.” Another new favorite of mine is Ben Taylor (son of James)…he has his dad’s nice smooth sound.
Meagan says
For your Iphone, you must check out The Avett Brothers. We are long time followers. Some of their music is good for burning some energy and slower stuff, not so much. Check out “At the Beach” and “I Killed Sally’s Lover” for some upbeat tunes, but those are just a couple. There’s many more! They are good NC country boys who have finally made it big. I make converts whenever possible! 🙂
I am new to the real food world and haven’t gotten much further than eating a lot of organic foods and drinking raw milk, but I’m learning. I’ve started my own blog to follow my journey through my first organic garden and get advice from others. I need to be a part of Real Food Wednesday to get some traffic from your blog on what to do when problems arise in my garden. I’ve already had a few! Thank you for your blog and the information it provides to a person like me just trying to figure this whole thing out!
Sally says
I wanted to say “thank you!” to you, Kelly, because your blog was the first that I came across and the one that I went back to when I was looking for answers. It was the beginning of my real food journey, which is now a passion of mine. That was about a year and a half ago and just this month I started my own blog to be able to participate even more! My husband has also just formed his own edible garden business. Growing, preparing, and eating real food is a wonderful part of our family. Thank you for blogging!!!
KitchenKop says
What a fun comment, Sally, thank you for sharing it!
Sally says
If the weather had cooperated this weekend, we would have BBQed some grass fed burgers and pastured chicken, but it actually snowed for a bit here yesterday in the Easter Siearras of CA. We did have our burgers anyway fried in the pan with some lettuce instead of buns and topped with peanut sauce and blue cheese. Yum! The chicken is being used for more chicken stock. We were running low – can’t run out of that!
Thanks for sharing that great picture! I wish I could recommend some music, but I tend to listen to my teenage daughter’s choices these days, which are Bruno Mars, and Taylor Swift, to name a few… Have a great holiday!
JMR says
Thank you for the link to the MILK vs. Milk article. It was very informative. I just purchased a herd share for raw milk last week and my first visit to the farm included information on what to do if an inspector showed up and tried to stop me picking up my milk, including the name of the dairy’s attorney.
T Hollis says
I, too, want to thank Kent for his service and you, Kelly, for your sacrifice during that time.
I have found that classical music calms the storms that swirl around my kitchen…my life, leaving a spirit of peace around me. It doesn’t distract me from whatever I am doing like music with lyrics – I tend to start singing which causes a problem if I am writing a new recipe or writing a new Post.
Happy Dedication Day to all!
Julie says
Really cute picture! Thank you, Kent for your service to our country.
Kortni says
Regarding music, Janna Adams is a really great Christian artist. I really like Regina Spektor too. =)